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Walmart Gang Initiation: Shooting Texts a Mass Urban Legend Hoax
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by Tina Kells | March 19, 2009 at 02:21 pm
62269 views | 38 Recommendations | 458 comments
Reports of a text message about a gang initiation stunt requiring the random shooting of people at a Walmart are a hoax. (See the comments stream below for a growing list of people in different parts of the United States and Canada who have received this hoax text)
Please continue to add any reports of text messages received to the comments stream below. This story appears to be a bigger issue than first reported and the fear it is generating is very real. People are texting and messaging loved ones and friends, "don't go to Walmart" and the hoax is testing the limits of viral fear.
Rumors of plans for a Walmart gang initiation shooting spree in Springfield, Kentucky were reported by some local media outlets. Kentucky police immediately responded that they had received no such reports but people remained panicked.
Many people called KY3 News starting about 2:15 p.m. Thursday to say they received this text message on their cellular telephones: "do not go to wal-mart tonight. gang initiation to shoot 3 women. not sure what wal-mart and confirmed on TV."
This message is a hoax. Springfield police know nothing about it. KY3 News did not report it or start the text message.
Snopes.com, which debunks or verifies electronically-spread rumors spread, says this hoax, or a variant of it, has been around since 2005.
More reports of other planned Walmart shootings popped up in other states suggesting the urban legend may be part of a targeted rumor spreading spree. Police in Florida were also dealing with false reports of a gang initiation shooting in an Orange County Walmart store.
The messages claim that either on Wednesday night or Thursday three women and possibly two men would be murdered at a Florida Walmart parking lot as part of a gang initiation
Officials in South Florida said it’s nothing but a rumor that's been going on for years.
On Wednesday evening, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said they haven’t heard of the rumor in this area, but then again it’s nothing to worry about.
A spokesperson with Walmart said Wednesday the company is aware of the e-mail.
They told News 13 the security of its employees and customers are a top priority, and even though they believe this is just a rumor, they are taking it seriously and working with local authorities to beef up security measures.
Officials also said the age of technology could be why this rumor is spreading so quickly as people simply forward the email to their friends and family.
Photos
The Walmart shooting hoax is well known to police as an urban legend. The idea of a random shooting spree as a gang initiation first made the rounds in 2005 and continues to pop up from time to time.
Known as the Wal-Martyred hoax it usually includes a text message being sent claiming a woman, child or elderly person will be killed by gang wannabes. The latest incarnation of this urban legend had gang initiates targeting three women in a Walmart shooting spree.
WAL-MARTYRED
Claim: Gang initiates must assault or kill a woman, child or elderly person at a Wal-mart.
FALSE
E-mails circulated, warning of deadly gang initiations involving the killing of women and children who were shopping at Walmart.
But no such slayings were ever reported, Snopes reports.But like the e-mails telling of gang initiations the involve the killing of drivers who flash their headlights at oncoming cars or the dire warnings a couple of years ago how new gang members are knocking on doors and killing whoever answers, the rumor just keeps on trucking.
Over the year, it has circulated with variations and "new" details, as such e-mail hoaxes tend to do.
UPDATES:
The story of the Walmart gang initiation hoax texts continues to deepen. A growing number of reports have surfaced across the United States about various text messages of this nature being received (see comment stream below). It appears that this is a massive shooting hoax that is occurring nationwide.
A comment made to this story suggested a shooting in Chattanooga had happened but further investigation by NowPublic revealed it was also part of the hoax.
Several local law enforcement agencies are reassuring the public that reports of a shooting at a Wal-Mart is nothing but a hoax.
Sergeant Jerri Weary with Chattanooga Police says her department received several phone calls reporting a text message about a shooting at the Hamilton Place Wal-Mart as part of a gang initiation. Sgt Weary said it's nothing but a hoax that's been reported in several states but has not proved to be valid. She says the text warning was sent out Wednesday advising people to stay away from Wal-Mart because people would be shot and killed. Sgt Weary emphasized there have been no reported incidents at any of the Chattanooga area Wal-Marts.
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at 18:59 on March 19th, 2009
I got it too like five times today and two phone calls... Everyone here is freaking out. I am in Leesville Louisiana!!!Crazy
at 19:00 on March 19th, 2009
I got the same message in Corpus Christi, Texas.
at 19:04 on March 19th, 2009
In live in Long Beach, CA and i got the message from a few people. I just think it is really funny how one text message hoax thing could ,spread throughout the United States. But the thing i fear is because this has become so popular some asshole will want to go out and make it true. And before you think i am blowing this out of paportion and say how thats a dumb fear remember the type of world we live in. There are many retarded people that would go out and do something like that knowing they will get news time.
just saying!
at 19:08 on March 19th, 2009
I got it this afternoon, in Kansas
at 19:09 on March 19th, 2009
Ok, I Live In Ebensburg Pennsylvania and recieved this message about 3 hours ago and spoke with a worker in Wal*Mart who also recieved a text. There were 4 police cars patrolling outside the parking lot when I got there ... this is travelling extremely fast.
at 19:11 on March 19th, 2009
Just got the text and I'm in Antioch Ca.
at 19:15 on March 19th, 2009
This has traveled to Wisconsin and was all the buzz at school today. :( I just got five texts of it.
at 19:17 on March 19th, 2009
just got it too. erwin tn.
at 19:32 on March 19th, 2009
I got this message earlier from my sister. She is in central IL, I am in UT. I told her it was a hoax because I remember getting it a few years ago. She just sent me a follow-up text forwarding that 3 people were shot in the Rantoul,IL Wal-mart earlier this evening. I can't find anything to back this up. This is terrorism of the worst kind. People should learn to verify these things before passing them on. I make people mad when responding because I look the info up on snopes.com or break-the-chain.org. I reply to them and everyone else on the email and include the link. Maybe it is irritating, but if more people did this, we wouldn't have this kind of threatening misinformation floating around. There are enough real things to be concerned with instead of stressing over someone's terrible idea of entertainment!
at 19:40 on March 19th, 2009
My friend got this text message after swim practice today. We live around San Francisco.
I guess it's been going on since 2005 but it's the first time I've heard of it.
at 19:41 on March 19th, 2009
Got it here in Pennsylvania too!
at 19:46 on March 19th, 2009
i just got therre eeeee messages and there coming to get me hhhheelp there names are robert smith jacob ukelagi and a black boy and his name is inpronouncibble
at 19:46 on March 19th, 2009
Hi I got this message 3 times today and I'm in Northern California. Now I feel stupid for forwarding it.
at 19:48 on March 19th, 2009
Omg i've gotten 13 of the messagz in the last 4 hours thanks i just made a text sayiong it was fake and i sent it to 5o of my freindz! ( u never know u might get my message.!)
at 19:49 on March 19th, 2009
Got the same text here in Kansas City, MO
at 19:50 on March 19th, 2009
i got it and i live in louisville ky and like everyone i no has sent it and someone was even talking about it at the tanning bed weird. totaly not true!!!
at 19:50 on March 19th, 2009
got it around 6pm, Pittsburgh, PA.....I work in a department store, not Wal-Mart, but another popular chain, was at work when I got the text, so I did get a bit concerned. Had my son google and he came up with the info of it being a Hoax. Glad of that!
at 19:52 on March 19th, 2009
same here in elsinore Ca. one of my friends got it. not from me.
at 19:57 on March 19th, 2009
I just got a text from a friend saying not to go to Wal-Mart in Dinuba, CA. It was just reported. Watch out females, young children, & old people.
at 19:57 on March 19th, 2009
Oregonnnnn. i got one toooo ! I thought it was true, so at school I told everyone not to go to Wal-Mart. I don't believe that it's not true, though. I aint takin' no chances.
at 20:01 on March 19th, 2009
I received the hoax text twice today... I live in California
at 20:02 on March 19th, 2009
i got this text message today, and it's spreading like WOW. I live in freakn Hawaii and it saying something about gang shooting 3 women . confirmed on the radio. What the heck!?
at 20:04 on March 19th, 2009
Got it from my friend in Colorado... I live in Indiana... Everyone should just send messages out saying it's not true because it IS going to keep getting passed around and prob won't ever end until people know it's not true.
at 20:04 on March 19th, 2009
We are getting the same text messages here in las vegas ours says"do not go to walmart tonight there is a gang initiation where they have to kill 3 woman and they dont know what walmart so stay indoors". what are kids this bored that they have to scare innocent people.
at 20:09 on March 19th, 2009
I just got it too and I live in Fairfield CA.
at 20:09 on March 19th, 2009
I live in Pomona California and got this text many times today. So has just about everyone I know. Crazy how something like this can get around so fast.
at 20:10 on March 19th, 2009
I got the text from two people today.
Oc, California
at 20:11 on March 19th, 2009
I recieved it here in Fairfield CA.
at 20:12 on March 19th, 2009
this is gay I was at work when I heard. My first feeling was it was a hoax but my boss said he looked it up and he seen it he went thru the whole plant and told everyone..... why people want to play people and scare people like that is beyond me
at 20:12 on March 19th, 2009
got it in Clinton, IA today